The Blake Adventures: Violets Are Blue
by AndAllThatMishigas
Summary: Jean and Lucien's daughter is starting school and the death of a teacher mars Valerie's new experience. Lucien must discover the secrets that the teacher and school parents are all keeping that led to her demise.
1. Chapter 1

**The Blake Adventures: Violets Are Blue**

 _September 1965_

It was the second week of nursery school, and Valerie Blake was finally starting to enjoy herself. Other children cried when their mothers dropped them off at school because they were afraid, and they didn't want to be away from their mums. Valerie hadn't cried, and Mummy said she was a very brave girl and was proud of her. But Valerie hadn't understood why she had to go to nursery school. She liked to be at home with Mummy and Daddy and Mattie and Charlie. Mummy said she needed to go to school to learn. But Mummy had already taught her the ABCs and counting. Aunt Alice let her help in the lab. Mattie and Charlie both read to her, and she could almost read a book all on her own. Daddy was teaching her to play the piano and to speak French. Why on earth did she have to go to school when she could learn at home?

But after a week, she had begun to make friends. And her teacher, Miss Archer, was very kind. She baked cakes for the class on Fridays. They were almost as good as Mummy's, and when Valerie had told Miss Archer this, the teacher had said that was a very nice compliment indeed; everyone at church knew that Jean Blake made the best cakes for the bake sales.

On that particular Thursday during lunch, Valerie was talking to Eddie, her new friend, about whether Miss Archer would be making the same cakes for Friday or if there would be different cakes for them. Ever the practical one—like her mother, Daddy always said—Valerie didn't want to waste time wondering. She marched herself right back into the classroom to ask Miss Archer herself.

Upon first glance, the room was empty. Valerie wandered over to the teacher's desk and found Miss Archer lying on the floor. Her eyes were closed, like she was sleeping, but there was a pool of red on the carpet under her head. From her experiments with Aunt Alice, Valerie knew that was blood. And Daddy had always taught her that if someone is hurt, you don't touch them, you call for help.

"Miss Archer?" Valerie called out tentatively. Perhaps she would wake up. But she didn't.

Valerie knew she had to call for help. And if someone was hurt, they needed a doctor. Valerie knew lots of doctors, but there was only one whose phone number she had learned. She went to the telephone on the desk, keeping clear of Miss Archer, and dialed, speaking each number aloud in the melody Mummy had taught her. It began to ring. Valerie smiled. This was her first time using the telephone all by herself.

"Doctor Blake's surgery," the voice answered pleasantly.

"Hello Mummy, this is Valerie Blake," she stated politely.

Jean frowned. "Valerie, why are you phoning?"

"Miss Archer is asleep on the floor and there is blood. I think she hurt her head, and Daddy says if someone is hurt, I should call a doctor," she explained.

"Listen to me very carefully, sweet girl," Jean instructed, "Go to the school office and tell the nice people what you found, and say that the doctor is on the way and no one should touch anything. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Mummy," Valerie replied with a nod.

"Alright. We'll see you soon."

"Okay. Bye!" Valerie hung up the phone feeling very pleased with herself. She went straight to the school office, just as her mother had told her to.

Jean hung up the kitchen telephone and put a hand on her stomach, trying to keep her anxiety to a minimum. She knew it wasn't good for her to have her heart racing, but she couldn't help it. With a determined huff, Jean rushed to the surgery. She knocked on the door and waited, not wanting to barge in while Lucien was with a patient.

The doctor came to the door immediately. "Jean? What's the matter?" He knew she wouldn't interrupt him during an appointment if it weren't important; he had heard the phone ring a minute earlier.

"I just got a call from Valerie."

"The school called? Is she alright?" he asked in an immediate panic.

"No, not the school. Valerie called herself. She learned our phone number. She found her teacher on the floor in a pool of blood, and she called for a doctor. Lucien, I think our daughter might have found a dead body!" Jean's voice cracked as she tried to keep from crying in her horror at the very thought of their little girl experiencing something so terrible.

Lucien felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Go get in the car," he told Jean quietly. Lucien turned back to his patient. "Paul, I'm so sorry, we've gotten a call from our daughter's school, and we're needed right away. Give a call tomorrow to reschedule with Jean, if you could." He led Paul out and grabbed his medical bag and hat on the way to the car.

Upon arriving at the school, they found the police had already arrived. Valerie was sitting with Charlie on the front steps. She jumped up upon seeing her parents. Charlie followed behind her.

"Daddy, I told them not to touch anything, but I don't think Frank listened to me," Valerie informed Lucien.

"You did exactly the right thing, darling girl. I'm very proud of you." He picked up the four-year-old and kissed her cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked her with concern.

"Yes. But I don't think Miss Archer is," Valerie replied. "Please go fix her. She's supposed to make cakes for us tomorrow."

Lucien swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He looked to Charlie, who shook his head subtly. Miss Archer was already dead. Jean was correct. Their daughter had discovered a body. "Valerie, stay with Mum. I'm going to go with Charlie to…to take care of Miss Archer." He wasn't sure how else to say it.

When Lucien put Valerie back down, Jean took her little hand in hers. "Mummy, will you pick me up?"

Jean smiled softly. "You know I can't, sweet girl. But we can sit down, and I'll hold you in my lap," she offered.

Valerie frowned. "There's no room for me on your lap anymore."

With her free hand, Jean held her pregnant belly. "I know, I'm so sorry. But in a few months, you'll be a big sister. And I'll pick you up and hold you all you want, alright?"

The little girl was quiet, staring at the ground. Jean led her over to the front steps of the office and sat down off to the side, away from the administrators and parents and children and policemen going by, dealing with chaos of a dead body. Jean put her arms around her daughter and hugged her as close as she could. She knew Valerie was going to have a lot of questions. She wasn't quite sure how to answer anything, but a small part of her was grateful that the teacher was Valerie's first brush with death. Finding the body wasn't ideal, of course. But when Jack was about Valerie's age, she'd had to explain death to him because his father had died. This time, at least, Valerie would have both her parents to help her understand. Jean made a mental note to tell Lucien how much she loved and appreciated him. Having a husband by her side to raise children was not something she took for granted. She'd gotten a second chance, thanks to him. And even when things were difficult, like now, she couldn't imagine any better way to be spending her life.

"Mummy, is Miss Archer going to be alright?" Valerie asked.

"No, I don't think she is," Jean replied truthfully.

"Oh. What happened?"

"Your dad is going to find out," she promised, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucien did his initial evaluation of the crime scene and the body before sending her on to the morgue. He didn't immediately follow; he had to take Jean and Valerie back home, and that was more important. Alice knew to wait for him. Hopefully.

"Valerie, go up to your room for a while, please. I've got to give Mum a check," Lucien told his daughter upon entering the house.

"To make sure the baby is alright?" she asked him.

"That's exactly right."

Jean was in no mood to be examined. "Lucien, I'm fine," she insisted

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, alright? It's been a rather stressful afternoon. At least let me take your blood pressure," he offered.

Upon seeing the rather particular look in his eye, Jean agreed. She ensured Valerie got upstairs and then followed Lucien into the surgery. Jean got up on the exam table and began unbuttoning her blouse, following the procedure they always used when Lucien gave her an examination.

"Alright, lie back, my darling," Lucien instructed.

Jean smiled softly and did as he asked. Even after so long, she felt warm butterflies whenever he used such sweet terms of endearments for her.

"What have you told Valerie so far?" he asked in between testing her vitals.

"Not much. She asked if Miss Archer would be alright, and I told her no. She asked what happened, and I said you'd figure it out," Jean replied.

Lucien nodded. "I don't quite know how to explain it to her. But I do hope when we can find Miss Archer's cause of death, at least we might be able to give Valerie some closure."

"I know she's going to ask a lot of questions. What do you want me to tell her?"

"I don't want to be indelicate, but you do have more experience explaining these things to children," he said warily.

Jean pushed herself into a seated position. "I know I do. But I had to do it by myself last time."

There was a brittle tone to her voice that, for all the happiness and love in their marriage and little Blake family, reminded Lucien of the pain and hardship Jean had experienced to reach this point. He immediately took her in his arms and kissed her hair. "You don't have to do anything by yourself ever again," he promised. "Why don't we go have a talk with her right now, hmm?"

"You really should get to the autopsy. You know Alice hates to wait for you," Jean replied knowingly.

"I'll explain to Alice why I was delayed. Valerie comes first."

Lucien handed Jean her blouse and helped her get dressed again. "I take it this means my doctor is satisfied?" she asked with a small smile.

"Your doctor is satisfied, yes. Your blood pressure is a bit high, so I'd like you to try not to do too much today. It's been rather trying, and you know your body takes the strain much more than it otherwise would," he warned.

Jean cradled her belly, feeling the baby inside shift and move. "We're fine, Lucien. It's been six months, and other than the excessive morning sickness and dehydration that comes with that, we haven't had any problems. And you know I won't do anything to put the baby at risk."

"Yes, I know."

"So don't be cross when you come home later and you find me doing the laundry," she teased.

"Alright, I won't be cross," he replied resignedly.

"Good. Now then, let's go have a chat with our daughter."

Jean and Lucien went upstairs and entered Valerie's bedroom. She was sitting on the floor with the dolls Mattie had given her for her last birthday.

"Valerie, can we talk to you for a moment?" Lucien asked apprehensively.

She turned her head to look up at her father with her big blue eyes. "Alright."

Jean and Lucien both sat down on the edge of the child's bed. She turned where she sat on the floor to face them, waiting for them to speak. The parents looked at each other for a moment, unsure of how to begin the conversation.

"Earlier, when I told you Dad would find out what happened to Miss Archer?" Jean started.

"Is she dead?"

Lucien was taken aback by the casual nature of the question. "I…yes. I'm so sorry."

"But she wasn't very old. And she wasn't in a war, was she?" Valerie asked.

"No, she wasn't very old, and she wasn't in a war. Why do you ask that?" Jean asked in turn.

"Last Christmas when Christopher and Ruby and Amelia were here. Christopher is my brother, but Daddy isn't his daddy. His daddy died in a war. Christopher said that people die when they get very old and their bodies stop working. But sometimes they die sooner, like in war."

Jean's brow raised in surprise, and she wasn't sure if she should thank her son or scold him for teaching her daughter a rather difficult lesson without telling her. "Christopher was right about that. But sometimes people get very hurt or very sick, and they die that way instead. That's why doctors like Dad are so important," Jean explained. "Whenever someone is hurt or sick, they should see a doctor. You know that already. But if they can't get to a doctor soon enough, they could die."

Valerie's face fell. "Is that what happened to Miss Archer? Daddy didn't get to her soon enough?"

"We're not sure yet. I'm going to go see Alice and we're going to find out what happened to your teacher and why she died," Lucien replied.

There was a pause while Valerie processed all of this information. Her eyes glazed over as she stared off into space. Jean couldn't help but recognize it as the same expression Lucien got when he was solving a mystery.

"Do you have any questions?" Lucien asked her, interrupting her thought process.

"Miss Archer won't be coming back to school?"

"No," Jean said simply.

"Where is she now?"

Lucien felt a distinct tightening in his stomach when his daughter asked him the exact question he'd hoped to avoid. "Her body is in the morgue with Alice," he replied.

"Is that all?" Valerie asked.

Jean put her hand on Lucien's knee to keep him quiet. "Her spirit is in heaven."

Valerie's furrowed brow indicated her confusion with this concept.

Trying to explain further, Jean told her, "Your body is just your body, what you can see and touch and hear and smell. But your spirit is what makes you who you are. And when a person dies, their spirit goes to heaven."

"Does every spirit go to heaven?"

Jean had a feeling this would happen. Valerie Genevieve Blake had never let anything she'd ever seen or heard go unquestioned. Her tiny mind was endlessly curious, a trait of which Jean and Lucien were both immensely proud. But it did lead to rather long-winded conversations with their little girl. Jack hadn't been this interested when he'd learned about death. Then again, Jean was barely able to speak without crying, so he didn't really have much option for curiosity. "Dad needs to go to work, so why don't you give him a hug and we'll let him go, and then you and I can keep talking, alright?" Jean offered.

Valerie got up and smoothed her dress in the neat, proper way Jean had taught her. She embraced her father tightly. "Daddy, will you tell me what happened to Miss Archer when you find out?" she whispered in his ear.

"Of course, darling girl." Lucien kissed her cheek before standing up and bidding his girls goodbye for the afternoon.

As he drove to the morgue, Lucien's mind was consumed with the conversation that Jean and Valerie were no doubt having. What is heaven? Who goes there? Where do other spirits go if they don't go to heaven? On and on and on. Lucien was pleased Jean had given him the opportunity to leave; after all, he wouldn't be much use with that particular topic. Jean had taken Valerie to church with her, and Lucien would accompany them on occasion. But it was clear within the family that Jean would take charge of their daughter's spiritual education. If she ever questioned the teachings of the church, Lucien would be there to help her decide her own way. But until then, she had been baptized and went to mass and would be attending Sunday School the next year.

"I think this might be quite the mystery for us," Alice announced as soon as Lucien walked in.

"You didn't wait for me!" Lucien pouted.

"I got here early. I needed to get out of the house as soon as I could," she replied bitterly.

"Oh dear, trouble in paradise?"

Alice scowled and deflected the conversation. "I think the cause of death is rather clearly a blow to the head."

Seeing that they'd be getting right to work without any other pleasantries, Lucien added, "Yes, there was a significant amount of blood on the scene."

"There's also some bruising becoming visible on the neck and arms. Someone was very rough with her," Alice concluded sadly.

"Thank god it wasn't apparent earlier. Those aren't questions I wanted," Lucien said under his breath.

Alice paused. "Did Valerie really find the body?"

Lucien nodded.

"I assume that's why you were late. Was she quite upset? I know Jean doesn't let me bring her to the morgue when there are bodies present, so was this her first one?"

"Alice, that's not just Jean's rule. My daughter shouldn't be so exposed to death this young if we can at all help it. But no, actually, she wasn't upset. She is quite curious though. Jean sent me here when Valerie started asking about heaven."

Alice grimaced slightly. "Oh dear. I never thought about having to explain things like that, but I suppose you've got to."

"All part of the fun of being a parent. And when the next one comes along, we'll get to do all this again. Though hopefully our second child won't learn about death by discovering a body," Lucien stated with a dark optimism.

The doctors went on with the autopsy, trading observations and theories and taking notes for the report to the police. They were interrupted, however, when the phone rang.

"Will you answer that, please?" Alice asked.

Lucien picked up the phone. "Ballarat Hospital Morgue, this is Doctor Blake."

"Is Alice there?" came a gruff voice on the line.

"Hello, Matthew, yes she is. Let me get her for you," Lucien replied with a smile. He placed the receiver on the table and turned back to Alice. "Your Mr. Lawson is asking for you."

Alice's entire expression went sour. "Tell him I'm busy. I can't talk now."

Slightly confused and concerned, Lucien picked the phone back up to speak to Matthew. "She's got her hands in a body cavity at the moment. Would you like me to tell her something for you?"

"Ask her what she wants for dinner and what time she thinks she'll be home."

Lucien relayed the questions to Alice.

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Lucien, could I come to yours for dinner tonight? Please?"

"If you come, I'll have to invite Matthew," he told her.

Alice considered this circumstance quickly and then decided, "Yes, alright. Invite him. I just can't be alone with him for dinner tonight."

Lucien's concern only grew. But he could tell Alice had no intention of explaining anything yet, and he knew better than to pry. He told Matthew over the phone that they were invited over for dinner that evening, and he was glad when Matthew begrudgingly accepted; Lucien knew his old friend would probably be more forthcoming than Alice ever would.


	3. Chapter 3

"Jean, I've invited Matthew and Alice for dinner, I hope that's alright," Lucien called as he came home that evening.

Valerie came thundering in to greet her father as she always did, leaping into his arms. "Uncle Matthew is already here, Daddy. He said you let Aunt Alice play a dirty trick. What did you do, Daddy?"

Lucien immediately felt guilty, even if he didn't know what was going on between his friends. "You know, I'm not quite sure. But I'm sure we'll have a wonderful dinner all together. You like it when Alice and Matthew come over, don't you?"

Valerie beamed. "Aunt Alice always teaches me new doctor words!"

Putting her back down on the ground, Lucien made his way into the kitchen where he overheard quite a bit of bustle. "Ah, Matthew, glad you could join us," he greeted.

Matthew glared at Lucien. "First you take Alice's side in avoiding me, then you invite two people for dinner without telling your pregnant wife? Christ, man!"

"Language!" Jean scolded. "And Lucien, I'm sure, was just trying to help. He does try, even if he does make a mess of things half the time." She greeted her husband with a quick kiss. "You're just lucky Matthew knows his way around the kitchen and offered to help out," she said in a low voice.

"I am sorry, I had hoped to be home before anyone arrived," he apologized.

"You could have called, but it's no matter tonight. Charlie took an extra shift and Mattie is on call, so she might not make it to dinner," Jean explained.

"And you're feeling alright?"

She tried not to be too exasperated at him. She knew he was only being a good husband and a good father. "We are just fine," she promised. "The little one has been kicking quite a bit, but there's been no change since you examined me earlier today."

He placed his hand on her stomach and smiled. "Good." He was rewarded with a few kicks from his unborn child.

Jean grumbled a bit. "Alright, stop agitating the baby, I've got dinner to get on."

A little while later, Alice arrived for dinner. Immediately, Valerie ran over to her. "Aunt Alice, what's my new medicine word?" she asked.

"Myocardial infarction," Alice replied distractedly, her eyes darting around the house.

"What's that mean?"

"A heart attack. Ask your father." And with that, Alice hurried past the confused little girl.

Valerie Blake was astute enough to understand when an adult was giving her the brushoff. She went into the parlor to sit with Mattie.

"Matthew Lawson, you are just being petty!" Alice announced, hands on her hips in defiance.

Jean, Lucien, and Matthew all turned with varying degrees of shock and concern on their faces.

"I'm being petty? You're the one who refused to come home for dinner!"

"You didn't have to throw all my laundry all over the house!" she fired back.

Lucien and Jean looked to each other, both feeling supremely awkward at being caught in the middle of a domestic in their kitchen. In an effort to distract from the personal nature of whatever fight Alice and Matthew were in the middle of, Jean said loudly, "Alice, why don't you tell us about what you found in the autopsy? Valerie is in the other room right now. So if we keep our voices down, I'd like to hear what happened to her teacher."

Alice realized she was being quite rude, fighting with her chap in their friends' home. "Right. Sorry. Yes. Well, I think Lucien and I were able to determine quite a number of things. The actual cause of death was a blow to the head. Severe brain trauma and extensive bleeding."

Lucien nodded. "Yes, quite a bit of blood at the scene, and I spoke with Frank just now, and Charlie found blood on the edge of the desk. She hit the back of her head in a fall."

"And with the force it would have taken to kill her, coupled with bruising on her arms and neck, it looks like she was, for lack of a better term, manhandled. Someone was roughing her up and probably threw her down, and she hit her head on the way," Alice concluded.

"Oh how awful. Have the police got any suspects?" Jean asked.

"They've been interviewing everyone at the school. I went back and had a look around. She's got a stack of cards in her desk of thank you's from parents, drawings from her students. Even a potted plant that had a gift card in it. Very pretty purple flowers, they were. By all counts, it seems Elaine Archer was a beloved teacher. Kind and well-liked by staff and students and parents. There doesn't seem to be any motive anyone's found yet," Lucien replied.

Matthew frowned in interest. "No indication she's got a life outside the school? Family troubles? Drugs? Angry boyfriend or ex?"

"Nothing's come up so far. Though no one seems to know much of anything about her life outside the school. I'm going to go see her flat tomorrow, I think. You're absolutely right, Matthew, we've got to find out about her to find out why someone would attack her. The death may have been an accident, but those bruises were very intentional," Lucien said darkly.

They were all quiet for a moment, disheartened by the mysterious and tragic death. The telephone rang, causing them all to jump slightly.

"I'll get it. I'm on call," Mattie yelled, rushing to answer it.

While Mattie was on the phone, Valerie wandered into the kitchen. "Daddy, did you find out why Miss Archer went to heaven?"

"Not yet, darling girl," Lucien replied. "But we're working on it. Actually, Valerie, do you remember seeing anyone going into the classroom or leaving when you were at lunch today? Anyone who might have been to see Miss Archer before you went looking for her?"

"No. I didn't see anybody. But I was busy talking to Eddie about Miss Archer's cakes." She paused for a moment, trying to remember, but her memory came up short. "Daddy, what's a heart attack?"

Jean groaned, "Alice!"

"Valerie, come with me to the surgery, and I'll explain while your mum and Uncle Matthew make dinner," Alice said quickly.

Rolling his eyes slightly, Lucien added, "I'll go with you, I think."

As the doctors and their little apprentice left, Mattie got off the phone. "Right, I suppose I will be missing dinner tonight. They need a district nurse over at the Martin place. Their little boy is a diabetic and his mother's run out of insulin. Obviously that can't wait until the morning when they can get a new prescription filled from the doc."

"Of course. I'll keep a plate for you, Mattie," Jean replied.

Mattie borrowed Lucien's car, as she often did when she was on call in the evenings. She drove quickly across town to see the Martins. There was every chance that the boy wouldn't need his insulin right away, but that wasn't a chance anyone wanted to take. She parked the car and rang the front bell.

The door was answered by a little boy with blonde hair and freckles. Mattie smiled kindly. "You must be Eddie. I'm Nurse O'Brien. Your mum called about your insulin."

"My mum wants to see you," Eddie replied somewhat cryptically.

Mattie followed the boy inside. The house was quiet. Eerily so. "Eddie, is everything alright? Where's your mum?"

"This way," he replied, leading her to the bedroom in the back. "I have all my insulin. Dr. Blake just gave us a lot last month. I don't need it very often, just when I have sweets," Eddie told the nurse with a very serious tone. If it weren't worrisome, Mattie might have laughed at hearing that voice come out of such a small child.

"Mrs. Martin? It's the district nurse," Mattie said quietly, entering the dark room. There was one lamp flickering in the corner.

"Mattie, is that you?" Mrs. Martin asked. Her voice cracked.

"Yes, it's me."

"I thought you'd quit nursing now that you've got your social work license."

Mattie couldn't help but smile. Natalie Martin had always been so very interested in Mattie's studies when she had been coming by more often to help out with little Eddie. "I still work a few on-call shifts each month. Now, Natalie, what's the matter?"

Mrs. Martin came into the light. She was limping, and her face was all swollen and bruised. She didn't say a word.

"Oh my god!" Mattie gasped. "Natalie, I can't tend to all of these right now. You'll have to see the doctor as soon as you possibly can."

Natalie began to cry. "I'll call Dr. Blake tomorrow, I promise."

"Everything will be alright. Come on, let's go into the bathroom and let me fix you up as best I can until tomorrow. And I'll tell Mrs. Blake to expect your call and get you in to see the doc as soon as possible."

Even though Mrs. Martin didn't say anything, Mattie knew from experience that her husband, Geoffrey, had done this. He was known for having a bit of a temper. Charlie told tales of bringing Geoffrey Martin in for bar fights on occasion. And Mr. Martin was conspicuously absent from the house. Hopefully wherever he was, he'd stay there. Natalie and Eddie would do better without him.


	4. Chapter 4

Natalie Martin sat in the waiting room at Dr. Blake's surgery, twisting the handkerchief in her hands. She kept her face down, trying in vain to hide the bruises and scratches.

Jean, once again, was mildly embarrassed by her husband's absence while a patient was waiting. "Mrs. Martin, can I get you a cup of tea?" she offered.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Blake. Don't go to any trouble on my account," Natalie mumbled.

That wasn't at all the sort of reaction Jean was expecting. She sat down—with some difficulty due to her growing pregnancy—and put a comforting hand on Mrs. Martin's arm. "I'm very sorry the doctor is running late. With the death of that poor teacher, he's working with the police to find her killer."

Natalie swallowed hard. "It's been rather hard to accept. My Eddie was in her class."

"My Valerie, too."

"Yes, it seems she and Eddie have become friends."

"Oh of course, I should have made the connection. I'm afraid I haven't been as involved in Valerie's school as I should be," Jean admitted.

"You're quite busy running the doctor's surgery, I'm sure. And you've got another one on the way. That must make it difficult."

Jean smiled kindly. "Yes, at my age, Lucien and I are rather worried about it, but so far it's been alright."

"You're very lucky to have a husband who loves you enough to be worried." Natalie's watery eyes said much more than her words.

"Mrs. Martin, do you know where your husband went?" Jean asked quietly.

"No, and I don't want to know. Eddie and I are better off without him. Once my face heals and I can go in public again, I'll find a job to support us. It'll be alright. Though I suppose all of this is no more than what I deserve," she said sadly.

"I can't believe anyone deserves what he did to you."

Tears began to flow down Mrs. Martin's face as she confessed, "I was unfaithful to my husband. But I couldn't stop myself. I…I don't love my husband. But I did love…" A sob cut off her words.

Jean put her arm around Natalie Martin and held her tight as she cried. "Shh, it's alright," she whispered.

"It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. It was against God. Against nature. This is my punishment. I'll be damned for what I've done!"

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe that. Certainly being unfaithful to your husband is a sin, but love is never against nature or against God. Loving another person, wholly and fully and deeply, is the most divine thing there is. I spent years being ashamed of myself for how I felt about the doctor. I loved him, despite being in his employ, despite knowing that I was a widow and a woman of God. But I loved him. I do love him. And through all the struggle, my love only grew deeper. And I don't want to presume anything about your situation, but you won't be damned for being in love." Jean gave Natalie a comforting squeeze. "And if anyone should be punished, it's Geoffrey, for what he's done to you," she added bitterly.

"You're a better woman than I, Mrs. Blake," Natalie said quietly.

"I don't know about that. But here, I don't know when Lucien will be back. He tends to get distracted. You go home. And when he comes home, I'll tell the doctor to come by and see you. He'll bring his medical bag, and if it's after school, I'll have him bring Valerie so she and Eddie can keep occupied." Jean pushed herself to standing with more effort than she liked to admit. "Go on home, Mrs. Martin. Rest for a while. Everything will be alright."

Natalie wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks and sniffed back those threatening to fall. "Thank you, Mrs. Blake."

"Of course," Jean said with a nod. "If you or Eddie need anything, please let us know. And I'll call you when the doctor is on his way over later."

Before she left, Natalie wrote down her phone number for Jean so the Blakes wouldn't have to bother with the operator. She wrote her name at the top of the page in very neat, careful letters, and had her number written below.

Meanwhile, Lucien spent all day in interview with Charlie and Frank Carlyle, speaking with every single staff member of the school. There was very little anyone could tell them. Elaine Archer was kind, she loved her students, all the other teachers liked her, no one had ever seen her in an argument with anyone, no one knew about her life outside of school.

Lucien had gone to check Miss Archer's home. Her small flat was shockingly impersonal. No family photographs anywhere. There was a potted plant on the dining table of that same purple flower she had on her desk. Lucien made another mental note to ask Jean about it.

As he wandered the rooms, opening drawers and cabinets for any sort of clue, Lucien couldn't help but feel oddly sad. By all accounts, the deceased had either an incredibly private and secret life, or else she simply had very little in it. It was beginning to look like the latter. Lucien could just picture her coming home with little drawings made for her by her students, putting them in the box on her desk, fixing a small meal of toast and cheese—that's all that was in the kitchen—and sitting down alone on the sofa in front of the television or perhaps reading a book while the wireless played.

But then Lucien discovered something that changed his mind about Elaine Archer. Right by her bed, propped up against the lamp, was a handwritten note.

 _I can't stop thinking about you. As soon as I'm able to get away again, I'll phone. I love you. –N._

Lucien put the note in his pocket. He'd show it to Charlie at home to see if he recognized the handwriting from one of the school people they interviewed that morning. If they could only find whoever "N" was, whoever it was that proclaimed his love for Miss Archer, Lucien knew they could figure out what happened to her.

As soon as he got home, Jean called out to him. "Lucien, you missed Mrs. Martin's appointment!"

"Oh that's right, I did. I was in interview longer than I wanted, and I wanted to see Miss Archer's flat before I came home. Here, take a look at what I found," he said, taking the note from his pocket to show her. "What do you make of this?"

"I'll look at it later. Go see Mrs. Martin. She's been beaten by her husband who's run off and left her with their little boy. Good riddance, but nevertheless, she needs her doctor to make sure she's alright." Jean had Lucien's medical bag all ready by the door for him. "And take Valerie with you. She and Eddie can keep occupied while you're with his mother."

Lucien put the note on the front table and picked up his bag. "Valerie! Would you like to go on a housecall with me?" he shouted.

Jean rolled her eyes as their daughter's thundering footsteps sounded on the stairs.

"Daddy, can I help!?" Valerie asked excitedly.

"I think you certainly can," Lucien replied, smiling proudly.

"Be sure to keep your coat on when you're outside. The nights still get cold, even in the springtime," Jean warned. She kissed the cheek of her daughter and husband, sending them off. "I'll let Mrs. Martin know you're on your way."

As soon as the door closed, Jean made her way to the telephone where she'd kept the phone number for the Martin house. Natalie answered right away and thanked Jean for calling. After that task was done, Jean went around cleaning up after the veritable hurricane left in the wake of her child. She went upstairs to see what sort of destruction Valerie had left in her bedroom.

Downstairs, Mattie came home from her day of work, very pleased she wouldn't be on call this evening. She had dealt with several difficult cases that day and was eager for some happy distraction from her Blake family. But the house was quiet. Charlie would still be at the station. The doctor's hat and coat were missing from the rack by the door. Mattie found a folded page on the side table and looked at it, surprised to find a love note.

Jean waddled down the stairs to go start on dinner. Valerie's room had been too much of a mess for her to deal with while six months pregnant. She'd have Valerie clean up after herself before dinner.

Mattie head footsteps and went to see. "Jean, what is this?" she asked, holding up the love note.

"Oh that was something Lucien wanted to show me from Miss Archer's." Jean took the page and looked at it. "Hang on, I know…Oh my god!"

Jean rushed into the other room and got Mrs. Martin's phone number. And sure enough, the "N" on the love note exactly matched the way Mrs. Martin had written the N of Natalie. Mattie saw the comparison immediately. "What does this mean?"

"I have to go see Mrs. Martin," Jean replied, taking the notes and putting on her coat by the door.

As she walked the four blocks to the Martin house, Jean started to piece together everything. And once it all fell into place, Jean felt her heart break for Elaine Archer and Natalie Martin. She knocked on the door perhaps a bit more hastily than she should have.

"This is Eddie Martin, who is at the door, please?" came a small voice inside.

Immediately after, another small voice sounded, "This is Valerie Blake, who is at the door, please?" The two children erupted into giggles.

"This is Jean Blake, and I need to speak with the doctor, please," Jean announced. She smiled at the sweet innocence of the children, happy to have her heart warmed in the midst of all the unpleasantness.

Eddie opened the door for Valerie's mother as Valerie ran to get her father.

"Valerie, you know you can't interrupt when I'm with patient," Jean heard Lucien chide. But he came down the hall and saw her, exclaiming with surprise, "Jean, is everything alright?"

The Blakes stood off in the corner so Jean could show the notes. "Lucien, I spoke with Natalie Martin this morning, and she told me that her husband did all that to her because he found out she'd been unfaithful, that she'd gone against God. I thought she just meant adultery, but if you found this at Miss Archer's flat, could it be that…"

At that exact moment, Lucien noticed the potted plant on the end table in the living room. The same purple plant he'd seen in Miss Archer's classroom and in her flat. "Jean, what kind of plant is that?" he asked.

Confused by his abrupt change in subject, Jean answered, "African violet. It's rather tricky to grow in this climate."

Lucien chuckled. "Oh my."

"What?"

"Jean, I think you got it exactly right. Mrs. Martin and Miss Archer were lovers."

Her eyes went wide.

He explained, "There was an ancient Greek poetess, Sappho, who proclaimed her love for beautiful women and presented her lover with a garland of violets. As a teacher, even for young children, Elaine Archer probably knew of it. She had those same violets at her home and in her classroom."

"Daddy, what's going on?" Valerie asked, interrupting her parents in their hushed murmuring.

"Valerie, you and Eddie go play in his room, please," Jean instructed.

Natalie Martin passed the children on her way down the hallway. "Dr. Blake? Mrs. Blake?"

Lucien came and put a gentle hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Mrs. Martin, did your husband find out about you and Miss Archer?"

Natalie immediately burst into tears. "Geoffrey found Elaine's letter to me. He cursed me and beat me and then swore he'd do the same to her. That's what happened, isn't it? He killed her?"

"I'm so sorry," Lucien said softly, handing her his handkerchief. "But Natalie, if you suspected what had happened to Elaine, why didn't you tell the police?"

"They'll arrest me for indecency. Eddie's got no one but me," Natalie explained through her sobs.

Jean stepped forward. "Natalie, why don't you and Lucien go to the morgue? You can say goodbye to Elaine. I'll stay here with the children," she offered.

Natalie nodded numbly. Lucien took her in his car and drove to the hospital. "What happened? Please tell me," she begged, once she'd stopped herself from crying.

"Dr. Harvey and I determined that she was grabbed very roughly and thrown back. She hit her head on the desk. The brain trauma and blood loss were what killed her. Geoffrey must have fled the scene before Valerie found her."

"Valerie found her?" Natalie gasped.

Lucien nodded gravely.

"I'm so sorry for all the hurt and pain I've caused."

"You didn't do this, Natalie. This was the act of a horrible man. A man who will spend the rest of his life in prison as soon as the police find him," Lucien insisted bitterly.

"Dr. Blake, are you going to tell the police about me and Elaine?" she asked quietly.

"We'll figure it out," he assured her as he parked the car.

They made their way to the morgue. Lucien was surprised to find Alice sitting at her lab table, reading a book.

"Dr. Harvey, Mrs. Martin is going to have a few minutes with Miss Archer. Could I speak with out for a moment?" Lucien asked, ushering Alice out to give Natalie some privacy.

"What's going on?" Alice asked.

"Never mind that. What are you doing here?" Lucien asked. "It's Friday evening. Shouldn't you be home?"

"I don't want to go home," Alice replied stubbornly.

"What's going on with you two? You can't keep this up much longer. I don't like being caught between you both without knowing what's happening!"

"Matthew wants to propose!"

Lucien's jaw dropped. "Well, isn't it about time? I mean you've been living together for almost two years, haven't you?"

"Yes, and it's lovely. But why on earth would he want to marry me? We're already living together and doing practically everything married people would do anyway. I don't see what the point is," Alice grumbled. "Why would he want to change things?"

"I think you've thrown our Matthew Lawson for a loop. He's a fairly traditional bloke, you know. I know he was rather concerned about living without out of wedlock when he first moved in. But he loves you so very much, I don't think he could bear the idea of losing you. Alice, I can't speak for Matthew. I haven't spoken to him about this. But I do know that you avoiding him isn't going to do either of you any good. Just hear him out and tell him how you feel, and I'm sure you'll figure out what will be best for you both."

Natalie Martin came out from the door, wiping tears from her eyes. Lucien took her home, leaving Alice with quite a lot to think about.

Late that night, after Jean had made a small supper for Eddie and Natalie and gone home with her own husband and daughter to make dinner for them as well and cleaned it all up, she practically collapsed in bed.

"Jean, are you feeling alright?" Lucien asked with concern, coming into the bedroom from singing Valerie to sleep.

She ignored the obvious reference to the pregnancy and instead replied, "I can't stop thinking about Natalie Martin. To live in a loveless marriage, to finally find the person she truly loves and who loves her in return, only to have to hide away and feel that guilt until it's ripped away? I can't imagine what it's like to live like that." Jean waited for Lucien to get into bed beside her before snuggling up beside him. "We're so lucky to have each other and our children. That we're all happy and healthy and we have a house full of love."

Lucien held his wife close, placing a hand on her belly with their unborn baby. "I couldn't agree more. I told Natalie we'd work it out, but I can't promise what the police will do when they catch Geoffrey Martin."

"I think we should try to help Natalie get a job at the florist's. She grew those violets herself. She has a gift, and I think she'd do well there," Jean suggested.

"That is a marvelous idea, love," he replied, kissing her forehead. "Oh, and I found out that Alice is avoiding Matthew because she's afraid he's going to propose marriage."

"Yes, Matthew explained when he came over early for dinner yesterday. I told him I wasn't going to interfere, but I couldn't speak for you. I know better than to predict what you're apt to do in any situation," she teased, patting his chest affectionately.

"You know, I have a strange feeling that everything will work out."

"That's rather optimistic for you, Lucien," Jean noted.

"Yes, it feels rather odd, but there's just something about everything that's happened in the last two days…somehow, our baby will be fine, Natalie and Eddie Martin will be alright, Valerie will be just as wonderful as always, and Alice and Matthew will find their way."

Jean yawned and cuddled closer to her husband. "You do tend to be right about most things. I won't be surprised if your right this time, too."


End file.
